Kapilendra Deva[a] (died 1467)[1] was the founder of the Suryavamsa Gajapati dynasty that ruled parts of eastern and southern India with the present-day Odisha as the center of the kingdom.

Due to a divine symbol of cobra (naga) seated by his head covering him from the sunlight while he was resting, Kasia predicted that Kapila would become a king one day.

Another version of the Madala Panji maintains the same account with regards to the origin of Kapilendra Deva but changes his name to Kapila Samantara who was at the service of the Ganga king Bhanudeva IV and stayed inside the palace.

[11] Raghudevapuram copper plate grant of Raghudeva Narendra who was the governor of Rajamahendravaram Rajya and also a nephew of Kapilendra Deva gives valuable details about the family's history.

Since the ascension was through a coup or rebellion, some vassal kings from Odisha such as Matsarvamshi of Oddadi, Shilavamshis of Nandapur, and Bishnukundina of Panchadhara declined his authority and declared themselves independent.

He appointed his able minister Gopinath Mahapatra to deal with the Jaunpur threat, which he successfully executed, and Kapilendra Deva himself suppressed the internal rebels with force.

[16] The military hegemony of Odisha had declined during the last line of Eastern Ganga dynasty rulers which provided enough opportunity for the rising powers in its neighborhood.

[7][17][8][9] The Gopinathpur inscription of 1447 CE describes his campaign against the Sultan of Bengal who tried to raid Odisha but was beaten back by the Gajapati army led by Gopinath Mahapatra, the minister of Kapilendra Deva.

[19] Historian R. Subramaniam describes that the title 'Brhamarbara' retained by Kapilendra Deva from the days of his service at the Ganga king's court clearly signifies his control over Brhamarkuta[6] region of Bengal.

An inscription in the Jagannath temple of Puri that is dated to the year 1450 CE narrates the conquest of Gauda by Kapilendra Deva after defeating Malika Parisa (Malik Padsah) which in short refers to the contemporary Persianate Sultan of Bengal by the name Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah.

The region east of the river Ganga[6] and until modern Burdhawan district was known as the Jaleswar division[11] which was handed over to the later ruler of Bengal Ali Vardi Khan by the Marathas during their time.

[6][better source needed][20] Katakarajavanshavalli records state about the holy dip of the Gajapati himself in the river Ganges and the Dāna of Tulasipur shasan villages to the Brahmins there.

In 1456 CE, Humayun Shah ascended the throne of the Bahmani sultanate and his general Sikander Khan suppressed the rebel Velama chiefs after occupying Devarakonda.

[24] As a result of this battle Odia forces came out as victorious and Telangana region became a feudal state of the Gajapati empire with the Velama chiefs as the vassal rulers.

The victory over the Bahmani Sultanate forces at Devarakonda in 1458 CE enabled Kapilendra Deva to assume the title of Kalavargeśvara which meant the Lord of Kalaburagi.

[26] The outcome of this campaign, set against the backdrop of Nizam Shah Bahmani's rule, left a lasting imprint on the historical tapestry of the region, shaping the narrative of Kapilendra Deva's military endeavors.

Hamvira Deva successfully captured the imperial capital city of Vijayanagara and forced it's weak emperor Mallikarjuna Raya to pay yearly tribute.

According to the historian R. C. Majumdar, Kapilendra Deva was the most powerful Hindu monarch of his time and under him Odisha became an empire stretching from the lower Ganga in the north to the Kaveri in the south.

[29] The Gopinathpur inscription aptly describes his position in 1464 CE:[30] Kṛtvā saṃyati Māḷāvendra-jayinaṃ senādhināthaṃ tu yaṃ Gauḍendrasya nitāntam Utkala-patha-prasthāna rodhārgaḷaṃ Śrīkhaṃṇḍādri payodharopāri karaṃ nirmāya Sānaṃdaṃ Kapileśvaro viharate Karṇāṭa-rājya-śriyā The Gajapati Empire which reached its height in 1464 CE under Kapilendra Deva was organised into two administrative divisions of Dandapata and Rajya.

Although his entire life was spent in warfare, the Jagannath temple became the center for an efflorescence of drama and dance (Odissi) and other forms of art during Gajapati rule.